Bad Move, LeBron

Here are my quick takes on LeBron James' decision to join the Miami Heat:

---And just like that, LeBron James ripped the heart out of the city of Cleveland. By announcing that he would jump ship to Miami, where he will play alongside Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh next season, LeBron confirmed our suspicions of him being a quitter. LeBron showed flashes of all-time greatness in the 2007 East Finals against Detroit, but in the last two postseasons, LeBron played with no clutch gene, and at times, he displayed a noticeable lack of effort. Making matters worse, he never expressed any sort of remorse for his poor play. Rather, he adopted the attitude of arrogance and rationalization. LeBron could have shown some admirable class and humility by deciding to return to Cleveland to deliver that elusive championship to the millions of fans that were so good for him. Instead, LeBron took the easy way out, and he will be justifiably hated by sports fans in the state of Ohio for years to come.

---If you think I'm exaggerating the heartbreak that Cleveland is experiencing right now, then how do you explain the videotape of Cavs fans burning LeBron's jersey, or the videotape of Cavs fans breaking down in tears in the aftermath of James' announcement?

---If LeBron was going to jump ship, he should have at least made the announcement in a more tactful, private manner. That was an embarrassment of riches last night. A one-hour, primetime television special for a guy who has never won anything??!! That, my friends, is the epitome of selfishness. You're not that important, LeBron.

---Kudos to Cavs owner Dan Gilbert for expressing such remarkable, unprecedented candor in his jaw-dropping rant against LeBron last night. Was Gilbert an emotionally drunk prisoner of the moment? Of course. But his statement was indeed based in truth, and he deserves credit for showing the type of unbridled honesty that is so rarely seen in sports. Cavs fans should be encouraged by the fact that they have such a passionate owner.

---Meanwhile, there is absolutely no guarantee that the Miami Heat will even be the favorites to win the East next season, let alone the NBA championship. Obviously, a LeBron-Wade-Bosh trio is awfully intimidating, but three great players does not a title make. When Boston won their title in 2008, they had a myriad of productive bench players (Eddie House, P.J. Brown, Leon Powe, James Posey) and a burgeoning young point guard in Rajon Rondo to assist the Big 3 of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. When the Celtics won the East this past season, the Big 3 became the Big 4 as Rondo blossomed into arguably the most exciting Celtic since Larry Bird, and bench players like Rasheed Wallace and Tony Allen were big assets in the playoffs. So besides the Big 3, who does Miami have right now? Mario Chalmers? Danny the Ball Boy? Pat Riley has a lot of work to do.

---The Bulls would have been a much better fit for LeBron.

---Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov (love him) was right when he said that the move to Miami weakens the LeBron brand. By deciding to play alongside two fellow stars in Wade and Bosh, James is essentially admitting that he is unable to lead a team to the promise land. No matter how many championships LeBron wins with the Heat, he should never, ever be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, or Kobe Bryant.

---I admit that I was wrong about LeBron. As my blog entries over the years show, I used to view LeBron as the epitome of unselfishness. Boy has that changed.

---However, despite my anger regarding LeBron's decision, I strongly disagree with the notion that this serves as a hit to the NBA's reputation. The NBA remains the best league, with a stunning array of young superstars (Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose) who do indeed symbolize class and unselfishness. The league is in a great place right now.

---And finally, I can't wait until LeBron makes his return to Quicken Loans Arena as a visitor with the Heat. The boos will be music to my ears.